Varathan Review

Varathan Review & Rating

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Varathan Review: A Peckinpahesque Thriller With Thrilling Moments

Kerala's own Straw Dogs?

First things first. Varathan is not a remake of Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs. With that out of the way, we can move on to Varathan review. This Amal Neerad thriller about a couple goes to a remote estate and falls prey to the voyeuristic machinations of the village folk has Fahaadh Faasil in the lead role. Aishwarya Lekshmi completes the couple of Priya and Abin.

The hostile world

Abin aka Aby is fired from his job in the most sophisticated way possible. His boss says to him that: Aby, we cannot afford a talented and way too qualified person like you. He has no other option. On his wife's suggestion, he shifts from Dubai to the estate owned by Priya's father. The residents of the village feel that their peace is disturbed by a couple of outsiders and add no mask to their resentment for the couple.

Add to this, some of the villagers keep an eye on Priya. She is tormented by peeping toms. Things go so far as that she finds a mobile phone in the bathroom. Abin is oblivious to all this. Or so it seems initially. A drastic change comes over Priya's generally cool mane when an unexpected intrusion happens.

Terrific Fahaadh

The first half of the film runs at a near snail's pace. The atmosphere is established and the characters are thrown into a volatile world. Abin's role is well established. Fahaadh Faasil did an immense job as a sophisticated and well educated young man who loses his job. Even in the action scenes, his eyes talked a lot.

He mostly depended on histrionic rather than bodily movements. We can imagine none in this role. For a man who has been constantly delivering different films and not repeating the roles he played, Faasil is an asset to the film. It is a lot of fun to watch him transform into a monster in the second half. There are many dialogues and scenes that give us goosebumps. Subtlety is never lost in all this.

Goosebump-ridden second half

Aishwarya Lekshmi played a strong role. She exuded confidence and vulnerability at the same time. The way she convinces her man of the hostility of the villagers is amazing. Rest of the cast did a fine job as the intruders and peeping toms. The second half is electric. It keeps us on the edge of the seat. The pre-climax and the climax takes the tension graph to the peak and we have to be careful of our fingernails.

Amal Neerad's master-class

Amal Neerad came back with a bang. Varathan is purely his film. Ably supported by the cinematographer Littil Swayamp and the brilliant background score by Sushin Shyam. The screenplay is ordinary but the narration by Neerad take the proceedings a notch higher. In his second combination with Fahaadh Faasil, Amal Neerad delivered a taut thriller. The production design by team Nazriya Nazim and Amal Neerad is superior to many such films. What could have been a B-grade rut of a film has become a standard setting thriller.

Finally

All in all, Varathan is worth a watch this weekend for its goosebump giving scenes and especially the final 30 minutes. Amal Neerad's direction and Fahaadh Faasil's performance and the able support act by Aishwarya Lekshmi make Varathan a memorable film. The inevitable comparisons with Straw Dogs crop up but the way the director took inspiration from the violent classic and giving it a local twist is commendable. Writers Suhas–Sharfu did a good job!

Varathan Critic Reviews

Varathan User Reviews

IhSan

26 Sep 18 @ 2:45 PM

Advaith

23 Sep 18 @ 5:09 PM

Varathan Live Updates & Public Talk

Amal Neerad's Varathan is an interesting project. This Fahaadh Faasil starrer is an interesting mix of intrigue and individuality. Actress Nazriya Nazim turned producer with this thriller. Aishwarya lekshmi who scored brownie points with her previous film, Mayaanadhi has joined Faasil as Priya in this move. The talk for this film is quite encouraging. The film is said to be a good comeback for Amal Neerad and his making style is said to have taken the film to another level.

The pre-climax and the climax gives us goosebumps. Fahaadh Faasil's performance and Aishwarya Lekshmi's support act added value to the film. But not everything's positive about the film. Some critics and audience say that it's only Amal Neerad's direction makes the film watchable, else it is pretty ordinary. The first half is said to be unimpressive but the second half of the film makes it level with some excellent performances Especially the transformation of Fahaadh.

Keep watching this space for more Varathan public talk and live updates.

Varathan Preview

What is Varathan about?

Varathan is about an outsider who just loses his job and a lot of things happen when is lover asks him to change the place. The movie appears to be a haunted house mystery or whatever it involves a bungalow. Fahaadh Faasil plays the lead role in this film and is joined by Aishwarya Lekshmi of Mayaanadhi fresh off her award-winning performance.

Varathan is produced and directed by Amal Neerad. Actress Nazriya Nazim joins hands with him for the film as a debut producer. She presents the film. Varathan's trailer shows that Abin played by Fahaadh is said to leave the job by his boss as they couldn't afford a man of his qualifications and talent. Later on, it moves on to a bungalow when Abin's girlfriend Priya when she asks him to make a change.

What to expect from Varathan?

A thrilling experience

Varathan promises a lot. This maiden production venture of Nazriya was shot in and around the town of Pala. Most of the story seems to happen in a remote area. Is there a supernatural presence or some sort of mystery? Varathan will be intriguing. That can be sure as the trailer promises.

Fahaadh and Aishwarya Lekshmi

Fahaadh Faasil is known for his naturalistic acting in movies like Bangalore Days, Money Ratnam, Roles Models, Take Off etc. He is one of the top talents in Malayalam Cinema with a wide range of performances over the years. Here in Varathan is he playing an intense role where he is way too qualified and talented to afford by his company. Aishwarya Lekshmi who accolades for her work in the film Mayaanadhi in recent times. She won not only awards for her performances, but critics also heaped praise on her for her work as a young woman who is in love with a fugitive. Their combination promises a lot for the film buffs.

The team assembled by Nazriya

If you have seen the trailer, you are hooked to the screen. The visuals are beautiful. The lights are ambiguous. The shadows are sinister. The cinematography decides the mood of a film alongside the artwork. For a film like Varathan, it is of utmost importance that cinematography click. Else, things quickly become b-gradish. Fortunately for Littil Swayamp's cinematography forms the backbone with all the right touches.

The music by Sushin Shyam is another asset for Varathan. The sounds create intrigue. The team assembled by Amal Neerad and Nazriya Nazim is top-notch. The technical departments apart from the actors did a great job as is evidenced by the trailer. The director Amal Neerad himself is a cinematographer. He joined hands with Nazriya to produce the film. Despite being termed as chilled out and cool by the team, Nazriya's heart is in the right places while producing Varatthan. The movie is going to be a sure shot winner at the box office.

Watch this space for Varathan review, rating, and complete analysis. Be right back!